Issun's Return
by sagewolf
Summary: Issun is called back to Ponc'tan by an old friend to see Ishaku one last tme.


Alright, fic 2 up and running (assumedly). I mean, if you're reading it, it is, right?

I do not own Okami, Ammy, Issun, Ishaku or any of the -gamis. Capcom does.

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Amaterasu," Yomigami reasoned, "I know you are attached to this mortal, but even you can not halt death. The poncle will barely last to see tonight's moonrise. There is nothing any of us can do for him."

Amaterasu was silent for a moment. She turned to Itegami, bull-god of ice and protector of Kamui.

"Can you find Kai and ask her to find Issun and bring him to Ponc'tan? No matter what, even if she has to carry him in her mouth the whole way?" Itegami, obviously perplexed, nodded. "Now," Amaterasu added, "and tell her to go with all haste. He is normally in Kamiki." Itegami bowed to her and left, vanishing with the glitter of frost.

Amaterasu turned then to Yumigami, the rabbit-god of night-time and the moon. "Yumi," she asked, "if I were to ask it of you, would you be willing to postpone the sunset, for as long as necessary?" Yumigami hesitated, then nodded.

"You have only to ask, Okami Amaterasu," he said, but it was clear that he was as confused as Itegami. Amaterasu nodded back.

"Thank you, Yumi. I am in your debt," she told him, before turning and dashing off in a blaze of light.

"Think nothing of it," Yumigami said to himself, trading a perplexed glace with the dragon-god Yomigami.

"Think you can Rejuvenate her head, Yomi?" he asked.

Amaterasu loped through the darkness covering the banks of the Styx. She hated to travel so quickly through this place; she had no power here and could be easily attacked. But there was no time to waste. She had to meet with Mortus. After a time, a figure appeared in her path. Amaterasu skidded to a halt, bowing to the lord of the underworld as best she could in her lupine form. The dark king's head inclined in a mark of respect.

"You are truly determined to see me, are you not, Great Mother Okami Amaterasu? Why have you come here?"

"I ask a slight favor. I wish for the poncle Ishaku to remain in the mortal realm until the sun sets."

Anger emanated from Mortus' cloaked form. "How long will that be?"

"Until his grandson, Issun, can reach him." Mortus bowed his head in thought. She began to doubt the wisdom of this venture. Mortus would be a terrible enemy if he was angered. Of course, so was she, but this was his realm. She would stand no chance.

"I shall allow this. At sunset, and no later, Ishaku must depart the mortal realm. I will come for him _personally_." Amaterasu bowed, thanked him, and left as quickly as she could.

Oki caused quite a stir when he arrived in Kamiki Village. He doubted the townsfolk here had ever seen a person like him before. Declining a place to rest, he bought some food from the town's merchant and asked for the poncle Issun. He was pointed towards the sacred tree Konohana, atop a hill, by a young warrior called Mushi and his dog Hayabusa. Hayabusa seemed oddly intelligent for a dog, exactly as Amaterasu had, twenty years ago.

Of course, Amaterasu had been a god. Oki doubted Hayabusa was _that_ remarkable.

He reached the tree, approaching through the sacred gate, and called out.

"Issun! I need to speak with you! ...NOW!" After a moment, a bouncing red dot appeared on a tree branch.

"Yeah, what?! I was very busy and if you're wasting my- Oki?" The red aura switched abruptly to green and Issun bounced his way down the tree. "What are you doing here, shouldn't you be in Kamui?" Oki extended his arm and Issun landed on his hand. "This isn't a pleasure visit, is it?" The poncle seemed worried. "Are those demons back? We can take 'em! Nothing stands up to my trusty sword Denkomaru!" He whipped out his sword and struck a pose Oki could barely make out. Oki shook his head.

"I'm here to get you. Ishaku's sick. He wants you to come home to Ponc'tan, now, so he can see you one last time." Issun slowly sat down, not bothering to sheathe his sword. Oki did not mention that the gods had requested it, not Ishaku. He didn't want Issun to think he was being forced into becoming chieftain of Ponc'tan.

"Old Man Ishaku... " He didn't take long to decide. "How long do we have?"

_Until sunset._ Issun leapt to his feet and Oki leapt into his wolf-shape, both craning their necks to see the speaker.

"Sakuya, was that you?" Issun called. The wood sprite did not answer. Slowly, he looked upwards, at the sun. It shone high in the sky, bright and hot. Brighter and hotter than it really had a right to.

"No wonder I made it here in one day," Oki said, reverence in his voice. "We have assistance. Are you coming?"

Issun hopped onto Oki's nose, pointing his sword to the north. "Do I have a choice? To Kamui! Where is Old Man Ishaku?"

"In Inner Yoshpet, near the Spirit Gate." Issun paled, and Oki knew why. The Spirit Gate was where dying poncles went, not sick ones.

"Hurry, then!" Issun yelled. Oki began running.

"Don't worry, Gramps," Oki heard him whisper. "I'm coming home."

Issun dashed into the clearing. Oki had stayed behind at Ponc'tan's stump, where the madness-inducing pollen of Yoshpet wouldn't affect him, and where he could rest. Issun had travelled through the last part of Yoshpet on his own, a simple task for a Poncle. He searched the clearing and saw, eventually, Ishaku's bronze glow. It was pathetically dim. Issun ran over.

"Who's there?" Ishaku asked- more like yelled, really. "I told you all I wanted to be left alone! No more disgusting concoctions or nursing! Leave me alone or face my trusty sword Denjinmaru!" He drew the sword from his side and waved it feebly in the air. "Go away, leave I said! You could be working on your painting! Go do that! WORK! Or I'll haunt you and criticise you every time you sleep!"

"That's all I've ever heard from you, Gramps," Issun said, leaning away from the sword. "Practise your brushwork, practise your brushwork. Give it a rest already, would ya?" Ishaku stopped waving his sword.

"Issun?" he asked, trying to sit up. "Is that...is that you?" He spied a particularly green leaf in the distance. "It _is_ you! Come here!"

"Gramps," Issun said, laying his hand on Ishaku's sword arm, gently immobilising the sword. "I'm _here._ That's a leaf."

Ishaku blushed. "Ah...My eyes aren't so good lately. Issun...I'm sorry. For mistaking a leaf for you...and for working you so hard. I never wanted to drive you away. I never meant to make you hate painting. All these years, I've missed you."

"I'm sorry I left like that! I didn't mean to hurt you, I just needed to get out and see things and...and live. There's more to life than painting. And you didn't make me hate it, I never hated it, I never gave it up. I just wanted to see the world, the same way you did." Ishaku chuckled.

"You certainly did. With the exact same companion, too. And using _my_ Travel Guide to get by!" Issun laughed, the laugh dying in his throat as he saw a dark figure materialise in front of the setting sun.

"Who d'you think you are?" he demanded, leaping to his feet and drawing his sword. "This is a private conversation, so scram!" He hoped he sounded braver than he felt. The sky was rapidly darkening. One patch, directly above them, was as black as ink. The dark being advanced on them, holding out one hand. Mortus, the skeletal god of death.

Silver light spilled into the clearing, illuminating the area around Issun and Ishaku. Issun looked up, dropping his sword for the first time in his life. He'd never even hoped to see that light again.

The light of a constellation. A constellation in the form of a wolf.

"Ammy," he whispered. Five of the stars in the constellation shone brightly, but a further two were missing. He grasped his brush and swallowed. He wasn't ready for this! Mortals weren't meant to draw stars! Making trees bloom or lighting a candle, sure, but filling in stars?

"Issun," Ishaku whispered, grasping the hand he was using to hold the brush. "Are you going to or not?"

"But...I was never able to..."

"Ammy obviously thinks you can," Ishaku said, "or the constellation wouldn't be there." Issun bit his lip. Slowly, he looked up and painted the missing stars.

Nothing happened. The stars he'd painted shot off into the night. Issun sighed. "Stupid furball," he murmured. He'd let her down. He looked up again. He'd painted both the stars, the foot and the tail...

The Divine Instrument! He'd forgotten it! Come to think of it, seven was a weird number for the sun god's constellation anyway. Nine would be much better. He was a fool to have missed it. He grasped his brush, his confidence restored. If Ammy had faith in him, well, he had faith in her.

He drew in the foot, the tail-tip, the Solar Flare and the flame coming off it. Four stars, added to the five...

All nine stars flashed, shone brilliantly, then were hidden by the wolf they portrayed. She leapt down into the clearing, landing between the poncles and Mortus. Her tail wagged hard enough to blow Issun off his feet in the draught.

Ishaku sat up painfully. "Ammy? It's you?" She walked over to Ishaku and licked him gently.

_Hello, Ishaku,_ she said, sitting down. _I hope you appreciate this. I have gone to a lot of trouble for you_. Issun sat down, awestruck and indignant. He was about to yell when Amaterasu's tail swished around to encircle him. He relaxed. He hadn't been forgotten. He patted the thick fur, and his attention returned to Ishaku. Ishaku wouldn't last much longer.

"Gramps," he whispered, "I'm sorry I wasn't there..."

"You're here now," Ishaku told him, "it's alright. Only...one more thing...you are the Celestial Envoy..."

"I know, Gramps, and I'll come back for good one day and terrorise Ponc'tan just like you did, forcing them all to paint until they fall asleep in their ink pots and drown. But I'm just not ready yet. I've got a lot more work to do as the Celestial Envoy before I can come back and be chieftain. When I'm ready, I'll know...and I promise I'll come back then. I've got the resolve to live out my destiny." Ishaku grasped Issun's arm, and seemed about to speak again.

Amaterasu bent her head toward Ishaku, held it there briefly, and straightened. Issun felt she had said something to him, something private. Ishaku let go of Issun's arm, and Issun grasped his grandfather's hand. He felt it go limp as Ishaku's chest fell and didn't rise again. The bronze glow surrounding his body flickered and died. The dark figure in the corner of the clearing disappeared as the sun sank below the horizon.

Night darkened the sky, but the clearing remained bright. A white glow emanated from Amaterasu's body, lighting the area around them for a good ten feet. Issun looked up at his friend.

"Hi, Ammy. Thanks for the help. I appreciate it." She wagged her tail.

_It's nothing. I have been wishing to see the two of you again for some time now. I'm impressed with you, Issun._

"What, drawing the stars in? That was nothing, a piece of cake," he said, picking up his sword and wiping it on his shirt. "Besides, you were counting on me. What was I going to do, screw up right then? At the worst possible time in my life?" Amaterasu shook her head.

_Of course not. If worse came to worst, Ishaku could have helped you. Besides, the poncles will rely on you more than I did. It's them you must worry about letting down. They'll look to you for guidance, the way they looked to Ishaku_. Issun turned red.

"Why me! Plenty are older, wiser--"

_No other has travelled with the sun god; no other is the Celestial Envoy._

"Yeah, but... I've got a long life ahead of me! Do you know how long poncles live? I don't want to spend the rest of it in that stupid stump!" Amaterasu cocked her head to one side.

_Oh? Didn't I just hear you say you had the resolve__to see your destiny through? I must have been mistaken. That's odd, though, my hearing is exceptional, but when you're wrong, you're_-

"I do! I do have the resolve, just...later..." 

_You are needed now. It's a pity, really, I'd thought I'd taught you something._

"You taught me the Celestial Brush techniques," he reminded her.

_No, those you stole from me. That was the only reason you travelled with me, remember?_

Issun fingered the hilt of his sword, at a loss (for once) for something to say. He had the feeling he was cornered. "Well, I--" He let his argument trail away. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. He could run away from Ponc'tan again, run away from his family, his destiny…

Or…he could rise and meet it. He didn't want to-he was a little scared of it. Of letting them down. He'd let a lot of people down. Yet, he'd promised Ishaku…and if Ammy believed in him…

Gah. He'd never get to the Celestial Plain this way.

He looked up at Amaterasu. "See ya, furball. Keep shining!" he told her, then ran off, back through Yoshpet, the way he had come. Amaterasu stood up, and raised her voice in a howl. As the last note faded away, she turned around and leapt back up into the sky, vanishing in a haze of brilliant light, as the trees closed off the clearing from the sky once more.

It was almost a day before the poncles stopped asking questions. Was he back for good? Was he going to be chief? Was he really the Celestial Envoy? Would he teach them to paint like him? What were the gods like? (He had nothing good to say about Kabegami, that stupid cat.) Other than that, his answers were yes, yes, yes and I can't work miracles, _I'm_ not a god. He would teach them to paint, though. Like he'd promised. As long as Ammy kept shining, he would too. He'd do his best to match her until he saw her again on the Celestial Plain. Right after he did a favor for Oki.

He had to unfreeze poor Kai.

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Heh. Thought I forgot her, didn't you? Itegami was a little...overenthusiastic with his message. Read and review! Well, you've already read it, haven't you...ah...review, anyway! ;

Yumigami: Or I'll pound you into mochi!

Uh...thanks Yumi...


End file.
